The Hindu Business Line : Serial blasts shock Bangalore

People gathered at the blast site in Nayandanahalli close to the ring road junction on the Bangalore-Mysore Highway, in Bangalore on Friday. - K.Murali Kumar

Our Bureau

Bangalore, July 25 A series of low-intensity blasts rocked southern and central parts of Bangalore, momentarily stopping the city on its tracks on Friday afternoon. The eight blasts, aimed to disturb peace in the city, however, failed to dampen the spirits of the city which chose to carry on its business as usual.

Two people were killed and five injured in the blasts, the first of which took place around 1.30 p.m. Seven blasts were reported in a span of one hour, and the eighth occurred around 5 p.m.

Work in the IT capital went on at its usual pace, except for a few offices which opted to shut shop. But the city did witness its share of chaos initially as news of the blasts spread.

Major shopping malls and schools were closed; traffic jams were reported across the city, as police put up barricades and closed to traffic certain roads. Telephone network was jammed for a major part of the afternoon, and most networks resumed in the evening.

Nevertheless, most companies that Business Line spoke to said they would continue work. They added that security measures had been enhanced.

Business as usual

At Infosys, “business is as usual,” said Mr Mohandas Pai, Member of Board. The company was taking extra precautions to protect its employees, and had been in touch with the police and the security service in Electronics City, he added. According to him, the company was also in constant communication with its employees.

Wipro said its employees were safe and infrastructure in tact.

A company spokesperson said that only employees of its Madiwala facility, which is the closest to one of the blast sites, were advised to go home. Security at all its campuses in the city was rigorous and strong, and “we are monitoring the situation,” the spokesperson added.

Mr Krishnakumar Natarajan, President and CEO, MindTree Consulting, said that there was no panic among his employees, despite one of the bombs going off near its office.

“The blast, aimed to create panic, has not impacted the IT community,” he added.

Ms Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson and Managing Director, Biocon Ltd, felt that an IT hub like Bangalore needed a better infrastructure in place to combat terror. An employee of Mphasis said that his company had advised its employees that there would be no changes, even for the BPO business, and company transport would be provided as usual.

Mr Subhash Bal, Country Director, Synopsys (India) EDA Software Pvt Ltd, said that productivity might get hurt for a few days, but it would all be momentary. He added that there would be no long-term impact on the IT industry.

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